Risen from the Ashes
by YourGreatestDream
Summary: Takes place after final episode. Zeke(Hao Asakura) wakes up from near death, and finds himself saved by a girl in a place unfamiliar. He is unable to call out his fire spirit, and Opacha is the only familiar face around.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King. **

**Now Enjoy :3**

It was dark; too dark to see. Where was he right now? Zeke couldn't remember a time in his past where he hurt as bad as he did now. Where was his spirit? His past memories were a blur.

"Ahhhhhh!" Zeke bolted up, then gasping at the pain, he clutched at his chest. He looked down. Bandages? The bandages were wrapped around his shoulder to his lower opposite side, covering a wound that was meant to have sliced him in half vertically. He was lying on a bamboo sewn futon, inside a cave. Bright candles lit up the room and a meal had been placed at the foot of his bed.

"Where am I?" He raised his hand to his head. He lost. Zeke never loses! Where had his spirit gone? "Spirit of fire, come to me."

"Oh, you're awake."

Zeke turned to see a girl at the entrance to the cave room. She had long blonde hair and deep brown eyes. She wore a gardener's outfit, and had very weak spirit energy. _Humans_. Zeke hated them. The girl saw him glare at her as she walked in with flowers. "I'm glad. You really are a miracle. I was afraid you would never wake up."

"Then why did you help me, human?" the boy with long brown hair asked.

"My name is Persephone. I helped you because even if there's a one percent chance of saving a life, I'll take it. Wouldn't you?" The girl replied in a matter-of-fact manner.

"No." Zeke said.

What's with this boy? The girl thought. One thing she did notice: he called her human. He obviously wasn't normal. The world must be against him for him to have wounds like that.

Well, she did save him. Zeke thought, _I suppose I won't kill her. That'll be my thanks for her 'help'._

"Aren't you going to thank me?" The girl said as she placed the flowers next to his bed. She picked up the plate on the foot of his bed and offered him the food. "You should also thank that friend of yours that brought you here."

"Friend? I have no friends…." Zeke looked once more at the door and saw a bit of afro showing behind the stone wall's opening. Opacho.

"That's something to say about a person who cares about you." Persephone walked over to the door and shoved the big brown haired boy into the room. His shoulders were low with distress, and his head bent low to hide his eyes. "It's about time you two caught up. I'll be just outside if you need anything." She walked out with a smile.

Silence filled the room for a very long time.

"Master, I…." Opacho sputtered. He was a small kid. He wore his cloak that covered all of him and the orange hair band like always.

"Opacho." Zeke said.

The little boy flinched. "Yes, Master Zeke?"

"I told you I never wanted to see your weak face again. Fear is a sign of weakness. You're bathed in that pathetic scent of fear."

"I'm sorry master! I couldn't obey that order. I just had to stay with you, even if it wasn't by your side! When I saw you after the fight….I couldn't leave you there." Opacho felt the fear in his every word. Zeke hated weakness. And at every word Opacho had implied that Zeke was weak, and would have died without him. Not only that, Opacho had taken him to seek the help of a human. Zeke had attempted to rid the world of humans. Opacho knew he had it coming. Yet he was prepared for anything Zeke had in stored for him. Whatever Zeke threw at him, Opacho would take it willingly. He was Zeke's favorite servant! And he would stay so until the very end. Opacho closed his eyes shut.

Zeke stayed silent.

Opacho opened his eyes slowly. Zeke was staring down at the sheets.

"Thanks Opacho. Could you leave me alone for a bit?" Zeke looked tired, but smiled a little for the little sheep that loved to follow him around.

Opacho couldn't believe it. He looked up at Zeke with tears in his eyes, "Yes master!" He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and with a smile he got out of the room.

Zeke laid back down. Sitting up put too much stress on his wound. He stared up at the ceiling and reflected over his actions. There was nothing much else that he could do. He did tell Opacho to get out of his face, but only because he was facing a threat larger than he expected, and he wanted Opacho to get out of there so he could be safe. Zeke didn't want to have the hindrance of having to protect someone near you, and he was used to being alone. He had been for 500 years, his only companion has been his spirit of fire. But now even _that_ was gone.

Why didn't anyone understand him? He tried to tell others his view point, but no one would listen. Humans were the destroyers of this world. They tore down the forests and polluted the nature of earth with their waste. Why would his own brother go out of his way to save them? Zeke was trying to save the world; with the end of the humans. Without humans, shamans would live forever in peace with nature. If humans were allowed to survive, then the world would be destroyed. That was why he aimed for his goal of becoming Shaman King, so he could save the world.

Something smelled nice. Zeke looked at the flowers the girl had placed at the table next to his bed. Red camellias. He chuckled. How nice. The flower of burning fire in hearts. How that flower represented him so. What was her name? Persephone? He grinned.

Three days later he was back on his feet. The spirit still hadn't come back to him yet, but he was patient. He walked outside the cave into the sunlight. He covered his eyes from it's brilliance. _I've been in that cave for far too long_, Zeke thought. Then he saw them.

Humans. They were working over a destroyed part of the forest. However, instead of building on top of it, they were replanting trees, and plowing fields of grass and flowers. Some were harvesting crops. He watched with unbelieving eyes. But, this is the job of a Shaman, why were humans working to help nature?

"Master you're up!" Opacho greeted Zeke with a cheerful face. "There's food in the commons. People here live in tents like us, so it'll feel like home!"

Zeke smiled sadly. Foolish and innocent Opacho, there wasn't a home for Zeke. He had no home, and no family. Yoh was forgiving to most, but there was no way he'd ever see Zeke again without giving him a ticket to hell. Zeke knew that. He had no home. That's why he used tents in the first place. But he followed his little loyal sheep nonetheless.

He and Opacho arrived at a small gazebo, it's roof consisting of blue tarp and walls of black netting , set up much like a tent. There were two flaps for the entrance, but they were pulled back by small black cords and hung like curtains. Inside were workers laughing and drinking sodas, water, lemonade and other soft drinks. There were coolers in the corner of the space, and a park bench in the middle with salads, fruit and vegetable plates.

Zeke saw the girl in the middle of the volunteers, and when she looked over their eyes met. She lightly dismissed the group she was in and walked over to him with a bright smile.

"It looks like you're doing well." She said. "That was a fast recovery from someone who was unconscious for two days."

"Yah, I'm like that." Zeke dismissed, not offering an explanation as he closely observed the other humans standing around the food, talking happily. Their hands were dirty from unearthing dirt and planting saplings. Most were big guys, farmers and harvesters. There were several girls playing badminton or reading books, and women telling-off some of the guys in their story telling. Accompanied with them, most sitting in folding chairs, were older folk. They talked to each other about old days, some playing chess or napping in the shade. Several dogs chased Frisbees and tennis balls across a green field to the right of the gazebo.

"Most of us are vegetarians, so I apologize if you were expecting hotdogs and hamburgers." Persephone said, leading Zeke to the tables.

"No, wait – I don't need…" Zeke protested, but couldn't escape the girl's insistence. He didn't want to be social with humans. That was the last thing he wanted. Being social with humans was like walking on an icy lake in the middle of winter. You can't possibly do it gracefully, and the possibility of slipping up was too great, not to mention the risk of falling through completely and loosing himself in the cold depths of insanity from listening to their mundane lives.

It didn't seem to matter to Persephone though. She introduced him to the others, and they shook his hand and acknowledged him. A big guy with a football t-shirt asked him follow up questions, along with other curious girls pestering and ambushing him. When he fell short on answers, Persephone and Opacho were there to answer them. Zeke wondered why he was even needed if Opacho could answer all these questions for him. He was overwhelmed and thought it would be much easier to erase them all, but his spirit didn't come forth.

Where was his spirit? Why was he even there? That blast should have killed him. Was this the doing of the King of Spirits?

"You look pretty held up. What's on your mind?" Persephone asked.

Zeke looked up from the napkin he found himself staring at. "Nothing. I just want to be alone right now."

Shuffling off from the group, he revisited the cave. _Spirit king, what is your plan? What is it you plan to do with me?_

Zeke had every intention of finding out.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


End file.
